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Hi. I'm Liesl. This is where I share my adventures in knitting, sewing, natural dyeing, spinning, designing, raising animals and growing vegetables on a small family farm in the Garden State called Buckaloo View. (more...)

Back in December, I had an urge to complete one of the many started-by-never-finished projects tucked in the nooks and crannies of my studio. This picnic quilt fit the bill. I had made most of the string blocks a couple years ago with the intention of making a full size string quilt but then I found a stack of squares I cut (another half-baked quilt idea) so I made up enough of each to complete a square grid. There is no method to the design layout or color scheme. It’s literally just a collection of home décor scraps, whatever piece fits wherever. I’ll admit, it’s a bit busy for my taste—-normally, I’d throw in some solid color (most likely gray) to break it up. But I was determined to use what I had on hand. And finish something.

The original intention was to use it as a picnic or floor quilt, something to sit on. But while I was hand stitching the binding, the quilt draped over me quite nicely and kept me warm on a chilly evening. So it may be used as a lap quilt instead. There is no batting—-the home decor fabric provides enough weight. On the bottom, I added triangles of fabric to the corners. I’ve seen this done a lot of picnic and beach quilts. If you put some rocks or sand them, the weight will prevent the wind from lifting the corners.